Although the event will otherwise go on as planned, Friday’s Shabbat dinner at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life will no longer reference the Bedouin people following vocal pushback from some students.
After hearing of the event’s intended “Bedouin tent style” theme, several students—headed by Duke Students for Justice in Palestine—reached out to organizers of Shabbat to express their concern. At first their requests went without acknowledgement, but action was later taken to amend the situation.
“The Israel themed Shabbat dinner scheduled for Nov. 14 remains, as originally planned, an event intended to recognize the diversity of cultures and identities that comprise Israeli society. The publicity regarding the event was modified and reference to the Bedouin people was removed,” Director for Jewish Life Rebecca Simons wrote in an email Thursday. She later posted the sentiment to the Jewish Life at Duke Facebook page.
Bedouin culture refers to an “ethnic group of Arabs who are predominantly desert-dwellers spread across the Middle East and North Africa,” senior Diala Alqadi, president of DSJP, explained in an email Thursday.
The event will be co-hosted by Duke Friends of Israel, a group aimed at promoting a better understanding of the culture of Israel.
Senior Jay Canarick, president of DFI, noted that the organization is neither political nor religious.
“DFI partnered in this event to provide participants and members of our organization with information on the variety of minority groups in Israel,” Canarick wrote in an email Thursday.
Jewish Life at Duke plans themed Shabbatot at least once each month, he noted, adding that in the past they have had an Israeli-themed Shabbat that focused on the different aspects of different Israeli cities.
“Given that there are a variety of different cultures within Israel, we felt that it was important to have an event that allowed participants to gain a greater understanding of these cultures,” Canarick wrote. “As a result, we chose the theme so that we can talk about the variety of cultures that exist within Israel and have discussion groups so that people can learn and express their points of view on the topic.”
He added that it was the goal of DFI to highlight the diversity in Israel and promote conversations to shed positive light on diverse ethnic groups.
“Our goal for Israel Shabbat is to promote conversations and civil discourse via discussion groups on the diverse people that live within Israel, not to exploit a group's culture,” Canarick wrote. “As a group that is heavily invested in all aspects of Israel, we would never culturally appropriate any culture that exists in Israel—that is inappropriate and not what DFI stands for.”
Alqadi, however, said she found the theme of Bedouin to be offensive for a myriad of reasons.
The flyer advertising the event highlighted eating on the floor in a traditional Bedouin tent.
“The image on the flyer itself is Orientalist and romanticizes the state of the Bedouins. There were even mentions of a camel involved,” Alqadi wrote. “It's absurd.”
By emphasizing these stereotypical aspects of an extremely diverse culture, Alqadi said the history of the Bedouin people was reduced to a “gimmick.”
“There is a long complex history behind the Bedouin culture, and it cannot be reduced to the few cultural symbols that the event plans to display,” she wrote. “The Bedouins within Israel, specifically, face discrimination, dispossession and home demolitions as the government implements plans that forcibly relocate them. To have an Israel-themed Shabbat that celebrates the culture of a people targeted with discriminatory policies is a clear reflection of the power dynamics in play.”
Alqadi continued in elaborating on the nuances that surround the culture.
“But most importantly, the Bedouins are Arabs, not only found in Israel but all over the Middle East including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Gulf countries,” she wrote. “The theme perpetuates damaging stereotypes of Arabs in an already tense time for contemporary Middle Eastern politics and world affairs.”
These complexities, however, are one of the reasons why this theme was selected, Simons noted. She added that the goal was to foster an environment for learning and discussions about the nuances of the Bedouin culture and its relation to Israel.
There is no recipe on how to handle a situation in which one group feels as though their culture is being exploited, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta.
“We are not a campus that censors,” Moneta said. “We strongly support freedom of expression—even expression that is offensive to some. The best way to respond to offensive speech is to correct that speech."
He noted that he was happy with the resolution that was reached, as were both sides of the issue.
When differences occur between two groups, Moneta said it is most productive to explore the conflict and see what the two can learn from one another.
“In discussion with the leadership of Duke Friends of Israel, I am confident that they acted in accordance with their mission that states Duke Friends of Israel is Duke's non-partisan Israel interest group. DFI provides the opportunity to discuss and learn about Israel and it's culture,” Simons wrote. “DFI envisions a peaceful Middle East, and promotes policies and programs that support this goal.”
Canarick echoed this sentiment, noting that all are welcome to participate in the event, which he hopes will help to raise cultural awareness.
Despite the resolution reached in modifying the publicity surrounding the event, Alqadi noted that she hopes the further care is taken to change the nature of the event beyond simply the public face.
“We sincerely hope that this is taken beyond 'publicity' and the event itself does not promote cultural elements that undermine and misrepresent indigenous groups. At this time, it is imperative that members of Duke community maintain mutual respect, and remain thoughtful about one another,” Alqadi wrote. “Communication on such culturally sensitive and politically tense issues is important.”
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